‘Your homes will be destroyed, your family killed’: the US has dropped millions of war propaganda leaflets
An exhibit of psyops leaflets released in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya finally shows American people the messages that were made in their nameBy Moustafa Bayoumi
TL;DR
- The US military has been dropping propaganda leaflets as part of psychological operations (psyops) for over a century.
- An exhibit at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, organized by digital archive group Khajistan, displays these leaflets from various US wars.
- Internal documents, such as a 1971 US Air Force report on Vietnam, challenge the purported successes of psyop leafleting.
- During the Vietnam War, billions of leaflets were dropped annually, but a report found they often lacked credibility and were misused by enemy soldiers.
- Leaflets from different conflicts show varying content, from threats to images caricaturing leaders and promoting cooperation.
- The exhibit questions the effectiveness of these leaflets, suggesting they may serve a self-serving purpose for the military rather than achieving battlefield success.
- Khajistan founder Saad Khan collects war propaganda as a reflection of his experience growing up in a war-torn region.